Are there any vent organisms that help cure disease?

Q: Are there any organisms that are living at the hydrothermal vents that can help cure diseases? - From the 7th grade students in Ms. Benjamin's class at Palos Verdes Intermediate School, CA. Dr. Costa Vetriani and Dr. Rich Lutz, Rutgers University A: Scientists are always looking at nature to discover opportunities for new medicines, and the deep sea is no exception. The unique organisms that live at hydrothermal vents in the deep sea aren't very well understood yet, but they may help us to develop new medicines as we uncover their secrets for living in such a challenging environment. Bacteria are a great example - many bacteria make biochemical compounds that will kill other bacteria around them to protect themselves or avoid competing for resources such as food or space. People already use some of these compounds as drugs called antibiotics to kill bacteria that can make us sick. But antibiotics aren't effective forever - eventually bacteria can become resistant to them and we ...  more